Information for Providers

the intersection of Infectious disease and cancer

The National Centre for Infections in Cancer serves as a comprehensive resource for providers who care for cancer patients and cancer survivors with the goal of promoting a greater understanding of the impact of infectious diseases in this era of novel cancer therapies, ageing populations and decentralised care.

resources

Allergy clinic REFERRAL

febrile neutropenia

How can I best care for my patients?

Low risk: "No place like home" is an ambulatory management program for patients at low risk of neutropenic fever. We have developed an implementation tool kit to assist health care workers in implementing this program at their own centres. Please ensure that they are appropriately adapted for your centre following multi-disciplinary stakeholder consultation.

Moderate to high risk: We have put together the Australian consensus guidelines for the management of neutropenic fever in adult cancer patients. Click below for the full set.

Fungal Infections

We have put together a comprehensive set of guidelines for the use of antifungals in cancer patients with the Australian and New Zealand Consensus Guidelines for the Use of Antifungal Agents in the Haematology / Oncology Setting, 2014. Click below for the complete set.

Out now: The European guidelines for primary antifungal prophylaxis in adult haematology patients

How to prevent, diagnose and treat Pneumocystis jirovecii infection (PJP)

Pneumocystis jirovecii infection (PJP) is a common cause of pneumonia in patients with cancer-related immunosuppression. Appropriate PJP prophylaxis can reduce the occurrence of PJP in high risk populations by up to 90%. Click below to view the Peter MacCallum guidelines on preventing PJP in cancer patients. Also available are the latest European Conference of Infections in Leukemia (ECIL) guidelines on PJP diagnosis and treatment in patients with haematological malignancies and stem cell transplant recipients.

Query Tuberculosis

TB risk may only be identified by careful history taking and must be done prior to consideration of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Click below to view Peter MacCallum processes for identifying and managing cancer patients with active or latent TB.

BK polyomavirus-associated haemorrhagic cystitis

BK polyomavirus-associated haemorrhagic cystitis (BKPyV-HC) is rare in haematology patients other than those undergoing allogeneic HSCT. When it does occur, it is in 8%-25% of paediatric and 7%-54% of adult recipients undergoing allogeneic HSCT. Haemorrhagic cystitis contributes to post-HSCT morbidity by prolonging hospital stay and severely worsening the quality of life. The European Leukaemia Network, the Infectious Diseases Working Party of the European Association for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (IDWP-EBMT), the Infectious Disease Group of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, and the Immunocompromised Host Society (ICHS) joint initiative have just published the latest guidelines for management of BK polyomavirus-associated haemorrhagic cystitis.